Double-Homicide Person Of Interest In Camden Co. Shot 2 Others in Philadelphia: Police

WYOMISSING, PA — A Philadelphia man — identified as a person of interest for a double-homicide case in Camden County — ended up shooting two more people before police fatally shot him Thursday in a standoff, Pennsylvania authorities said.

A trail of crimes linked to Vaughn Perkins left three people dead, including himself, and another two injured, according to law enforcement in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The injuries stemmed from a shooting incident Thursday in Philadelphia, which left one person in critical condition as of Friday, according to Pennsylvania State Tpr. David Beohm.

The Camden County Prosecutor's Office labeled Perkins a person of interest for a pair of homicides March 27 at a Gloucester City motel. He was also charged with aggravated arson for a blaze that occurred at the hotel that day, authorities said.

• Read more: Double Homicide, Arson At Camden County Motel: Prosecutor

Perkins, 53, had a warrant out for arson from the Gloucester City incident. Authorities then identified Perkins as the suspect in a separate shooting incident, which occurred around 4:30 p.m. Thursday in Philadelphia, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Law enforcement in New Jersey and Pennsylvania haven't disclosed any potential motivation behind the incidents.

A video showed Perkins walking up to two people sitting on a Philadelphia porch and shooting them both, police said. The footage captured his car and registration plate.

Officers found Perkins about 2 hours later in Wyomissing Borough, Pennsylvania, which is roughly 65 miles northwest of Philadelphia. Local police tried to pull him over, but a short pursuit ensued, according to Pennsylvania State Police.

Perkins drove into a Wyomissing backyard, where his vehicle became disabled, police said. The man had a rifle with a scope across his chest, according to authorities. After Perkins failed to obey police commands, officers shot him.

He was pronounced dead at the scene. Pennsylvania State Police and the Berks County District Attorney's Office are investigating the police shootings.

Law enforcement didn't publicly identify the two people shot in Philadelphia. Camden County authorities identified the Gloucester City victims as Tabitha Price, 56, of Gulf Shores, Alabama, and Steven Smith, 52, of Atco.

Nobody has been charged in relation to the fatal shootings of Price and Smith as of Monday afternoon. But the Camden County Prosecutor's Office identified Perkins as a person of interest in the homicides and as a suspect for arson. The deaths of Price and Smith remain under investigation.

Officers found Price and Smith deceased in a motel room at about 6:30 p.m. March 27. Firefighters also extinguished a blaze in a separate motel room.

Perkins's death marked the second incident in a month in which someone linked to homicides in Camden County died during a police encounter. In a separate incident, a man charged with the Feb. 25 murder of a Lawnside woman shot himself three days later, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.